baseballfandomcom-20200222-history
Charlie Morton
Charles A. Morton (born November 12, 1983 in Flemington, New Jersey) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He stands at 6'4" and weighs in at about 170 lbs. He is a right-hander. Professional career Morton was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round (95th overall) of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He was drafted right out of Joel Barlow High School, located in Redding, Connecticut. Morton was added to the 40-man roster by the Atlanta Braves on November 20, . Morton made his major league debut on June 14, , against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings, earning his first Major League win in the process.MLB.com 2009 On June 3, 2009, the Braves traded Morton with Gorkys Hernández and Jeff Locke to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Nate McLouth.MLB.com On his first start with the Pirates on June 10,pitching an inning against the Braves, while Jeff Karstens got the win.On June 28, he received his first decision, a loss to Kansas City. On July 3, he won his first game, pitching 6 innings of 1 hit ball against the Marlins. His best performance in July came on July 18, vs Houston. He pitched 7 innings of a 3 hit, 1 run game with 6 strikeouts. His best game to date is his September 20 start at the Cubs, where he pitched a complete game 4 hitter, to go with 8 strikeouts. His 2009 record in 18 starts is 5 wins against 9 losses, a 4.55 ERA, 97 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts, 40 walks, 7 home runs, 5 hit batsmen, .276 average against, and a 1.46 walks and hits per inning pitched. 2010 Morton broke spring training as a member of the Pirates starting rotation. He made his first start of the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 9, 2010 and struck out the first five hitters he faced, but gave up 8 earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched. As the season progressed, Morton continued to struggle, losing all five starts in April and finished the month with a 12.57 ERA. However, Morton delivered a promising performance on April 30, 2010 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 8 in six innings of work while allowing six runs - only three earned - but was dealt a loss as the Pirates only provided him with two runs of support. "I thought he threw the ball well," Pirates manager John Russell said. "If we catch the ball that one inning, it might have been a different story. He probably should have gotten out of that 3rd inning with no runs." Morton earned his first win of the season on May 5, 2010 against the Chicago Cubs, striking out three in a 4-2 decision. However, he could not build on the win and lost each of his next four starts, dropping his record on the season to 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA. A day after suffering his 9th loss against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates placed him on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. He was sent to the Pirates spring training facility in Bradenton, Florida for rehabilitation. After completing his rehabilitation, which included meeting with a sports psychologist, he was assigned to the Pirates Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians. Speaking before his first start with the Indians, Morton said "I was pressing. I wasn't being myself on the mound those last couple times I went out there in Pittsburgh. There was so much going on in my mind. At the end of last year, I finished strong, I got a glimpse of what I could do, truly, in the big leagues, going out there and going deep into games, being competitive, being someone who was pretty good. I wanted to be out there for myself and because I care about this team and organization. At the same time, though, after that last one, that last start, because I care about these guys is why, exactly, I knew I couldn't go back out there again." On June 24, 2010, he earned his first win in AAA since returning from the DL, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts against the Durham Bulls. Scouting Report Morton's fastball is about 93-95 MPH while he also throws a 2 Seam fastball. His curveball has a sharp break to it and sits at 72. A hard, diving change-up, that is about 75 is a setup pitch for his curve. References External links Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Category:Players from New Jersey Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Gulf Coast Braves players Category:Danville Braves players Category:Rome Braves players Category:Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Category:Mississippi Braves players Category:Richmond Braves players Category:Atlanta Braves players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Starting Pitchers Category:Players